


Time to reflect

by hkandi



Series: Summer Shinobi Sports Competition [7]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Community: kakairu_fest, Gen, Invitations..., KakaIru Fest Summer 2020, M/M, Obstacle course again!, Teamwork makes the dreamwork, park benches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:54:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26111458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkandi/pseuds/hkandi
Summary: As the summer shinobi competition nears its end, Team 7 undergoes the last event, revisiting the obstacle course, and Kakashi and Iruka take time to think about, well, them...
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Hatake Kakashi, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Series: Summer Shinobi Sports Competition [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861750
Comments: 11
Kudos: 56
Collections: Nine Weeks of Summer 2020





	Time to reflect

**Author's Note:**

> For the Kakairu Fest Nine Weeks of Summer event, park benches prompt!
> 
> One more story in the series after this!

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

There were many benches in and around Konoha.

In parks. Near fountains. Outside restaurants. Near the memorial stone. By the academy. Spread out over training grounds.

There was one bench in particular that had become a favorite place of Team 7. It wasn't far from where they usually met, and was two-thirds in the shade, one of the most important aspects of this location.

It was sleek light grey stone, and was just a flat slab sitting above the ground. Big enough for the whole team to sit on it, Iruka and Kakashi alternated between sitting next to each other or sitting across from each other, with the genin sitting in a crowd in front of, or between, them.

It was a makeshift desk, a table, a gameboard.

A place to meet at the start of the day, to relax at during break, if they happened to be near, and, on the rare chance they ended their day in the area, a place to lay, exhausted, each person half hanging off.

It was also under a nice tree that Kakashi would sit in and read, or watch over the team.

Sometimes he liked to sneak into the tree early and read, and watch the dynamics between everyone as they sat and waited for him.

His voyeurism was even more fun to engage in when Iruka joined them, as he could just watch the teacher interact with the kids, in a truly warm mentor role.

Both Kakashi and Iruka noticed that when the genin gathered without Kakashi, Naruto was more focused on teamwork, Sasuke was even more eager to train, and Sakura was more centered.

However, all that changed the more they had to wait for their current sensei, though Iruka starting training as soon as he arrived, without waiting for Kakashi, changed things, for the better.

It was at this bench that the team met on a bright, sunny Tuesday.

"Everyone ready?" Kakashi asked, as he strolled up.

"You're....not that late?" Sasuke commented, curiously.

The others looked at Kakashi, who gave them an eye smile.

"Maa, it's our last event, I thought I should take it seriously."

"For once," Naruto sighed.

Iruka laughed. "Well, better late than never, eh?" He turned to the genin. "Are you excited?"

They nodded, and the team set off.

"I can't believe the competition is just about over!" Sakura said. 

"Yep, this is it!" Naruto agreed.

"We're in sixth place again," Sasuke commented, "If we do well today, we might be able to get into the top three, but it's probably a long shot."

"Well, no matter what happens, we do it as a team," Iruka reminded them. "And, hey, at least it's dry today!"

The five of them walked in silence for a moment, reflecting on the start of the competition for them and how the skies had opened up and not relented.

"Good thing," Kakashi sighed. "Seeing as we're back at the obstacle course..."

The course loomed in the distance, growing bigger and more intimidating as they approached.

"Well, we'll hopefully be less muddy today," Iruka sighed.

"Not if you fall in the water," Sasuke sneered at Naruto, who jeered back.

"Not me! You're going to fall into all the water obstacles!" he shouted.

"Boys!" Iruka said as they neared the obstacle. "Teamwork!"

"Iruka-sensei is right," Kakashi sighed. "So shut your faces before you cost us points."

Iruka shook his head, muttering about setting an example.

A judge greeted them at the start.

"Ah, Team 7, right on time!" the older shinobi said, and Kakashi looked at his team, who smiled innocently at him.

"Playing with my timing again," the copy nin sighed.

"Your first time for this event, your time was twenty three minutes and thirty eight seconds. We're observing and scoring not just on time, but teamwork, skill, and cooperation," they were reminded, and the team nodded.

"Ready?" another judge asked, and they moved to the start line. "Three....two....one....begin!"

They took off, relishing the drier, more stable obstacle course and overall quality of the land.

The team went as before, with Kakashi in the front, and Iruka in the rear. The team flew over and past obstacle after obstacle, with the adults needing to help the genin less with the target practice.

"The judges seemed to like how we've improved," Iruka shared, as they went up and over the wall easier than before.

"All that extra training has really paid off!" Sakura shouted, excited.

The round balance beams were still a bit tricky, but it helped that there were no muddy patches underneath psyching them out.

"One at a time, no one starts until the person in front of them is done," Kakashi instructed as they got to the monkey bars, a water obstacle regardless of the weather.

Sakura went first, eyeing the water obstacle warily but making it over without a problem. Sasuke followed, faster than she was, and Naruto flailed a bit but made it across safely, followed by the adults.

"Good job!" Iruka said, ruffling the blond's hair as he landed on the opposite side himself.

"This is new," Sasuke said, as they approached the rope crossing. The water was at its normal level, and so they had to actually do this obstacle as it was intended.

"Perhaps you should show how it's done," Kakashi said to Iruka, who nodded.

He reached up to the top rope, putting one foot on the lower rope and pulling himself up, so that the top rope was at chest level, and standing facing the ropes. 

"Shuffle across it, your feet and hands don't have to leave the ropes," Iruka said, as he crossed. "But don't go wild, or it'll rock for the others!"

The genin nodded and Kakashi helped them up, as the ropes were a bit high for them.

They soon finished and hopped down.

"That wasn't bad at all!" Naruto cheered.

"Now to run back," Sakura said.

"Piece of cake after all the running we did this summer," Sasuke said. "See you at the finish line!"

Naruto and Sakura took off after him, laughing, with the adults bringing up the rear.

They crossed the finish line and the genin flopped down onto the ground. Kakashi crouched on the ground near them to catch his breath, and Iruka stood with his hands intertwined on top of his head, panting.

"Sixteen minutes and fifty two seconds!" the judge shouted, and the team cheered.

"Almost seven minutes faster!" Naruto cheered. 

"Great job!" Iruka added, as the others stood and they moved off the obstacle course.

"I wonder how much was us improving, and how much was due to the weather cooperating," Kakashi mused.

"Who cares? Points are points!" Sasuke pointed out.

"Winning would be nice, but it was a fun competition," Sakura smiled, as they walked back to the main part of the village. "Are we doing more training today, Kakashi-sensei?"

"I think we could call it a day, if you'd like," Kakashi replied. "Should we meet back later and take Iruka-sensei out for a meal, thank him for joining our team all summer?"

The genin agreed and Iruka laughed.

"Well, I won't say no. I'll see you all for lunch!" Iruka said, and they parted ways, agreeing to meet at Ichiraku's a few hours later.

___

Kakashi wandered the village for a bit before deciding to find one of his favorite perches to sit with his book, the tree over the bench his team favored.

To his surprise, an hour later, none other than Iruka appeared, with his own book.

Kakashi masked his chakra and watched as Iruka sat to read, shifting position here and there. Sitting with his feet on the ground, sitting cross legged on the bench, half laying down, before laying completely on his back, hands behind his head, book to the side, watching the clouds.

Kakashi jutsued a short distance away and made his presence known as he approached, hands in his pockets.

Iruka looked up as he neared, and smiled.

"Hello, Kakashi."

"Iruka," Kakashi nodded. "Mind if I join?"

Iruka shook his head and sat up, moving so the other man had space. Kakashi chose a more shaded part, and studied Iruka, who was still sat in the sun.

"What a summer, eh?" Iruka laughed. "So hectic!"

"Admittedly," Kakashi sighed. "I hope the Hokage had fun watching us all go crazy."

Iruka laughed. "The kids had fun, that's what counts, for us anyway. And I don't think any of the chuunin-jonin teams killed each other..."

"I know I've said it before, but I have to give it to you, giving up a lot of free time for the brats for all of it," Kakashi said, shaking his head.

Iruka smiled. "It was fun! And if I hadn't competed with them, I probably would have on a chuunin team, and they had some big challenges to do..."

"Bigger than keeping Naruto from killing Sasuke?"

"Ha! Way bigger! But, speaking of the competition, we should start heading to meet up with the kids," Iruka suggested, and they took their time heading to meet the team.

There, they regaled Teuchi and Ayame with their summer, even though the two had seen them throughout it regularly.

"We'll miss your genin clothes, sensei," Ayame teased Iruka, who laughed. "But, you'll all stop by our booth on Saturday, right?"

"What's happening Saturday?" Naruto asked.

"Well, technically today wasn't the last event," Iruka said, and Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi groaned.

Iruka and Sakura exchanged a look.

"After all this time, they still don't really read about the events!" Sakura sighed. "Today was the last scoring event. Saturday is the end of competition festival, where they reveal all the ranks and points!"

Iruka nodded. "The judges get together before that and can vote to award extra points for things like teamwork, so there's no telling who could win just yet."

"And yes," Sakura said, glaring at her teammates, "we all have to go."

"I suppose it would be weird if weren't all there," Sasuke agreed.

"Plus there'll be ramen!" Naruto shouted.

"If I have to," Kakashi sighed.

"That's the spirit," Iruka laughed. "I'm glad this summer had such a good effect on all of you," he joked.

They continued to talk about the competition while they ate, and Iruka thanked them for the meal, as they thanked him for being on their team.

"I'll see you at the festival!" he said, waving goodbye as they departed a short time later.

Iruka reflected on his summer as he walked home, and all of that night. His time with his former students, and, most surprisingly, his time with the copy nin. Positive encounters, like being co-team leads, training the kids, sharing duties and responsibilities, really, truly working together. And the strange ones, like sharing a bed, being in an onsen together on a Saturday night, and roping the ninken into his prank.

"I still don't know how I'm alive after that," Iruka muttered to himself, shaking his head.

He thought, too, about the times he and Kakashi had spent time just them, without the kids, including, perhaps especially, sharing the room while away from the village...or that night not long ago they joked over ice cream....

Memories of what his friends said about them appearing to be dating floated through his brain.

"Maybe....just maybe...." Iruka thought, as he looked at the team picture from the summer.

_______

Iruka and Team 7 were, seperately, quite busy for the rest of the week. Iruka agreed to work some extra shifts to provide coverage for others, and Team 7 went out of the village for a short mission.

Iruka, in his free time, found himself still drawn to the bench he would meet Team 7 at, enjoying the options it afforded of being in the shade, or the sun, or even both at the same time.

"Fancy seeing you here," he heard a familiar drawl, Friday afternoon.

Iruka smiled to himself as he laid in the sun, eyes closed. His former team had apparently returned from their time away.

"Good mission?" he asked, opening his eyes and sitting up, moving into the shaded part of the bench.

Kakashi shrugged as he joined him. "Good enough. The brats are still working together well."

Iruka smiled. "That's good. And you're well, I hope?"

"Well enough. And you?"

"I'm good, thanks," Iruka said. "Just enjoying some time outside before heading to the missions desk in a few minutes."

"Are you working tomorrow?" Kakashi asked.

"Only as much as you are," Iruka laughed, and Kakashi looked at him curiously. "We're required to go to the festival, remember?"

Kakashi groaned. "Don't remind me!"

"Ah, come on," Iruka smiled, nudging him. "It'll be fun! I'm sure the kids are excited?"

"That's all they talked about, outside of mission-related things," Kakashi said, shaking his head. "Thank kami you'll be with us, you're not allowed to leave me alone with them!"

Iruka laughed again. "I suppose that could be arranged...if you sweeten the deal?"

"Maa, you're on our team, that's not fair," Kakashi fake-sighed. 

"Go out with me Sunday?" Iruka asked, in a hushed, hopeful tone.

Kakashi blinked a few times in silence.

"Ah," Iruka said, looking away for a moment. "It's okay, I'll be there anyway tomorrow, of course."

"Yes."

"Yes?" Iruka asked, looking at the copy nin.

Kakashi gave him an upside down eye smile. "Let's meet for an early dinner?"

Iruka smiled, surprised. "That sounds nice."

"Great!" Kakashi said.

They were interrupted by Gai approaching them before they could discuss it further.

"Rival! I know you're back in the village, and near here! Come, you said we would meet for a challenge today if your team had returned triumphantly, and it is my turn to choose!"

Kakashi sighed deeply.

"Go up in the tree," Iruka suggested, and Kakashi looked at him for a moment before leaping up and masking his chakra.

"Iruka-sensei! How are you today?" Kakashi heard.

"I'm well, Gai-sensei, and you?" 

"Truly wonderful! Tell me, have you seen my most hip friend nearby?"

"Can't say I have, but I'm off to the missions desk," Iruka responded. "I'll keep an eye out. Good luck finding him!"

"Thank you! I will see you tomorrow with our teams, at the festival!"

Kakashi could hear Iruka laugh. "Yep, I'll see you then!" It sounded like he had started to walk away, before Kakashi heard the teacher call back their way.

"Gai-sensei, why don't you sit on the bench I was just at, and wait for a while, to see if Kakashi-sensei comes this way?"

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei! A superb suggestion!"

Kakashi felt his high spirits deflate as he saw Gai sit and begin to meditate on the bench underneath Kakashi's position.

Sighing, he pulled out his book and got comfortable.

"Still playing pranks on me, eh Iruka?" he thought to himself as he opened his book, his mind wandering to seeing the younger man tomorrow and Sunday...

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback and suggestions welcomed!
> 
> Let's connect, I'm on [tumblr](https://hkandiu.tumblr.com/)


End file.
